The Insanity of Obedience Leader Kit: Advancing the Gospel When Facing Challenge and Persecution

Author: Nik Ripken

Publisher: LifeWay Christian Resources

Publication Date: July 1, 2016

ISBN:  1430055138

ISBN:  9781430055136

Product dimensions: 7.50(w) x 2.5(h) x 2.5(d)

Price: $49.99

The Insanity of Obedience Leader Kit includes a Bible Study Book, The Insanity of Obedience book, and one DVD with a promotional video and six clips from The Insanity of God documentary.

How do we begin to walk and work with God, especially in dangerous places? Based on the documentary The Insanity of God, this Bible study presents missionary Nik Ripken sharing true stories of people who are suffering for the name of Jesus.

This study is an invitation to open your heart, your mind, and your eyes to the realities of walking with Jesus in difficult places. Engage with Scripture and see what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, not just someone who believes certain truths. Discover the answers to key missiological and theological questions about living sacrificially for the cause of Christ.

Believers play a significant role in God’s divine purpose. Observe how Christians all over the world are not only surviving but also thriving in the midst of persecution.

Session Content:

1) Missions

This session deals with God’s command to be on mission and our response to His command. The Bible is to be lived out in the present active tense.

2) Persecution

This session explores faith in persecution and suffering. Is obedience on this level insane, especially in the midst of popular theology that encourages obedience leading to success and comfort?

3) Family

This session deals with the spread of the gospel by addition and exponential growth. Faith grows in families and communities, from a single believer to small groups of believers to succeeding generations.

4) Growth

This session deals with the dynamics of healthy growth.

5) Victory

This session describes and celebrates the miracle of victorious living through an enduring faith—especially in hostile environments.

6) Church

This session is a summary and personal call to action for individuals, groups, and churches to join God’s mission—no matter how insane obedience may look. Why? Because Jesus is worth it.

Kit includes:

  • Bible Study Book
  • The Insanity of Obedience book
  • DVD with a promotional video and six 5- to 10-minute clips from The Insanity of God documentary
  • Social-media content for church promotion


Features:

  • Clips from the feature documentary The Insanity of Obedience
  • Biblically rooted and gospel-centered
  • Firsthand accounts in the author’s voice
  • Individual-study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growth
  • Six-week Bible Study Book with group and personal components
  • Step-by-step plans for six group sessions
  • Promotional content, including a promotional video for the Bible study
  • Social-media assets for the group leader


Benefits:

  • Confront the misconception that church membership is the same as following Jesus.
  • See that the Bible’s commands are nonnegotiable.
  • Break the grip of the seduction of comfort and ask Christians to face the question, Who is Jesus, and is He worth my life?
  • Put aside programs and practices to insert missional sacrifice and calling into the normal rhythms of church culture.
  • Give group members examples of ways to identify and respond to God’s call on their lives.
  • Show believers how best to respond when persecution comes.
  • Demonstrate to groups that the bar of Christianity has become low in Western culture.
  • Reveal the Bible as nonnegotiable.
  • Lead believers to the conclusion that telling people about Jesus is normal Christianity.
  • Celebrate the miracle of victorious living.
  • Explore faith in persecution and suffering.
  • Provide a means to find courage from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
  • Explore the dynamics of the personal call to action for individuals, groups, and churches to join God’s mission.
 

About the Author

Nik Ripken is the world’s leading expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts. He is a missions veteran of 36 years, having served primarily in North Africa and the Middle East. He is the author of The Insanity of God and The Insanity of Sacrifice. He and his wife have conducted extensive research in approximately 72 countries with believers in persecution including how they view suffering through a Biblical lens.